Casey Smith is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Phoenix Christian High School for AZPreps365.com.

Phoenix Christian was dominated in straight sets, 25-8, 25-11, 25-14, at Scottsdale Christian on Wednesday, which pushed the Cougars to a three-game skid.

This win puts the Eagles at 3-0 atop the 2A Central region, whereas the Cougars inversely are 0-3 in regional play. 

“For us going into the season, I felt like region champions was an attainable goal,” Scottsdale Christian head coach Julie Dickerson. “So for us it's the expectation.”

The Eagles (9-1) started the game with two straight aces from freshman setter Megan Davidson and they never looked back. They possessed a great height advantage, as junior Selah Wadsworth and senior Alex White controlled the match at the net. Scottsdale Christian had a plethora of impressive blocks, making it difficult for Phoenix Christian (3-8) to switch the play. 

“For us we always focus on controlling our side of the court,” Dickerson said. ”Regardless of who's on the other side of the court, if it's a competitive game or if it's not, we still have work to do on our side.” 

Phoenix Christian has gone into this season with a young roster, only holding one senior on the active roster, their leader and setter Serenity Manuel. The Cougars' first-year head coach Lyndee Johnson said that she knows that her younger roster, including three freshman starters, has a lot to learn.

“Every game is a learning game, every practice is new for us,” Johnson said. “We’re here to have some fun, that's why we play volleyball. The girls are kind to each other, they know that they are young and so for us we came in knowing it's a rebuilding year.”

Despite being swept, the Cougars improved their score in each successive set as they adapted to playing against a strong defensive side. Throughout the entire game they also had a close-knit bond, continuing to uplift each other through the entire match. 

“We really bond,” Manuel said. “We have team bonding, we hang out a lot, we come to practice, we're all friends and we're all pretty close. It's just like family, really.”

The Cougars still have a chance to get back on track with seven matches left. They play next at Antelope Union (7-4) on Oct. 7 at 5 p.m.